Staging
Realtors will work with professional home stagers to make sure the home is beautifully staged in order to best show off each room. Some, like Cristina Grossu of Charlotte, North Carolina, will do it themselves, while others will hire professional stagers like Simply Put Home Designs in Gainesville, Georgia. This can be one of the more expensive services, depending on how many rooms need to be staged, how much furniture needs to be rented, and how long the home is on the market. On average, stagers charge $500-$600 per room per month, although a realtor may be able to negotiate a better price on your behalf. Commission
While commissions vary depending on location and the type of property for sale, on average, a real estate agent’s commission fee is 5%-6% of the final cost of the home. Half of that is paid to the seller’s agent and the other half is paid to the buyer’s agent. For example, a $600,000 house would net a $36,000 commission, and each agent would earn $18,000.
The commission is generally factored into the sale price of the house and subtracted from the proceeds of the sale. Note that the buyer does not negotiate this part of the contract; the commission is between the seller and their agent, and they negotiate the commission fees.
Closing costs
Unlike the commission, the party responsible for paying the closing costs can be negotiated — and this is often where real estate agents really earn their pay. Because no rule guides who pays these costs, agents representing both the buyer and seller work hard to get the best deal for their client. However, in most markets, the buyer pays for most of the costs, usually 3%-4% of the home’s price; the seller usually pays closer to 1%-3%.
Closing costs are separate from the realtor’s commission; they include a range of fees for processing the loan, recording the deed, insurance, taxes, etc.